Healthcare watchdog condemns ‘unsafe, unclean, and untrained’ Northampton orthodontics in damning report following closure

Cheyne Walk Orthodontics, located opposite Northampton General Hospital, officially shut down on Friday, November 1, citing a “lack of funding” from the NHS.

In a statement, the practice said: “We have been continuing to service NHS patients at our own cost in order to maintain service, but we cannot continue to do this.”

However, a report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has revealed severe issues. Inspectors, who conducted an unannounced visit in June, concluded the practice “was not providing safe care,” finding the premises unclean, staff undertrained, and emergency equipment expired since 2021.

The report states: “We found the practice had not met all regulations. The practice did not have systems to manage risks, recruitment procedures did not reflect current legislation, and infection control procedures did not follow published guidance. There was ineffective leadership and no culture of continuous improvement. Safeguarding processes were not in place, and staff did not know their responsibilities for safeguarding. The practice did not have effective systems to review and investigate incidents and accidents. Complaints were not dealt with positively and efficiently. The provider was not complying with regulations.”

The report continued: “We found this practice was not providing safe care. We found concerns related to the safety of the premises and equipment, adequacy and availability of emergency equipment. The recruitment processes of staff, training of staff, staff support and development. Infection prevention and control standards not being followed.”

The CQC’s inspection raised significant issues with the staff and premises. Inspectors said: “Staff did not know how to respond to a medical emergency and had not completed training in emergency resuscitation and basic life support every year. Staff we spoke with told us that equipment and instruments were well maintained and readily available. However, we found several broken items and a treatment room to be in poor condition. Broken items included the upholstery of a dental treatment chair, a patient spittoon, a clinical waste bin held together with tape, an autoclave, and a door handle.”

The CQC also found problems with infection control: “We asked staff how they identified and managed risks in relation to Legionella, or other bacteria developing in water systems. Staff told us they completed temperature checks on taps, weekly flushing of low-use water outlets, and visual checks. However, we were not provided with evidence of these checks and found heavily scaled taps present around multiple areas in the practice, which can harbour bacteria.”

Regarding the availability of emergency supplies, the report found: “We found multiple items of emergency equipment that had expired in 2021, such as oxygen face masks and adult defibrillator pads. The emergency equipment and medicines were kept in a locked cupboard accessed via a code. Staff could not access these in a timely way.”

In terms of hygiene, inspectors said: “The premises were visibly unclean, poorly maintained, and cluttered. Cleaning of areas, including the decontamination room and patient toilet, required improvement. We found limescale build-up on multiple taps and sinks, dusty extractor fans, a soiled reusable patient bib, and cobwebs present. There was an unpleasant odour caused by a disused shower drain.”

The CQC report pointed out that staff weren’t trained to spot sepsis.

A review of staff files uncovered additional issues. Inspectors said: “We reviewed eight staff recruitment records, of which four staff did not have satisfactory evidence of conduct in previous employment as references were not always present. Four staff members did not have evidence of a full employment history or evidence of vaccinations. We found three staff members had a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and not an enhanced check as per requirements.”

Click here to read the report in full.

Since closure, Chronicle and Echo has had multiple users get in touch detailing their ordeals with the site.

One 18-year-old man said: “I was referred there four years ago, had to wait a year but finally had braces fitted. I was told I would wear these for 2.5 years. It’s now been over three years. In May, I was meant to have a checkup; they cancelled this on me at the last minute, rebooked it, and cancelled three more times. I haven’t heard from them in six months despite calling. I still have their braces on and was not made aware of them closing until your article popped up. I’ve not been contacted by the NHS yet like all other patients have. So now I’m stuck in a very bad place where I have braces on and cannot have them taken off because I can’t get access to my NHS as I’m 18 now, and I can’t afford to pay thousands to go private. I was also told by them I have to have a retainer, or it will all go back. This again would cost me thousands to fund. I don’t know whose fault this is, Cheyne Walk or the NHS, but I am in a terrible position now and feel completely abandoned and stranded.”

A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “We have been working closely with the contract holders to ensure that patient care and the transfer of patient care is managed locally before the end date of November 30.

“The East Midlands Primary Care Team are in negotiations with surrounding local orthodontic providers within Northamptonshire to ensure patient care is transferred to local Orthodontic Services, this will include all patients currently receiving treatment, or supervised retention, and patients that may have been newly referred to Cheyne Walk Orthodontics and are awaiting assessment.

“Any patient requiring dental care in the first instance should contact their NHS dentist, if the dental treatment is deemed urgent, then patients should contact NHS 111 services for signposting to an urgent care dental service provider.”